PLAYER PROFILE: Chris Cannizzaro

Casey Stengel once had this to say about Chris Cannizzaro:

"He's a remarkable catcher, that Cannizzaro. He's the only defensive catcher in baseball who can't catch."

Which is just a nice way of saying...um...actually, it's not very nice at all. But Casey was a funny guy. And funny guys make fun of other guys all the time. It's no big deal. Unless, of course, you're the one being made fun of—the "butt of the joke."

I have a feeling Chris Cannizzaro was the "butt" a lot. In a 13-year career, with 6 different teams, Cannizzaro hit .235 with 18 home runs and 169 RBI's. In 1961, with the Cardinals, he missed almost the entire season with an appendectomy. He appeared in just 6 games that year and had a single in two at-bats. His .500 batting average didn't impress the Cards. They left him unprotected and the Mets took him in the expansion draft.

The 1962 expansion Mets were one of the worst teams of all-time. They won just 40 games and lost 120. Casey Stengel made fun of the guys on that team all year. Jimmy Breslin wrote a book about the team's misadventures. Can't Anybody Here Play This Game? is one of my favorite baseball books of all-time. It's hilarious. I'm not sure Cannizzaro or any other Mets on that team would share my enthusiasm, but I highly recommend it.

Cannizzaro was actually the starting catcher for two different first-year expansion teams. In 1969, he played for the San Diego Padres. They won 52 games and lost 110. Cannizzaro hit .220 with 4 home runs and 33 RBI's. Dismal numbers, but he did get selected to the All-Star Team. Major League Baseball likes to have every team represented at the All-Star Game. Fans, not so much.

Cannizzaro was also known for being painfully slow. That doesn't mean he was in pain when he ran. It means he was so slow it was painful to watch. Or funny, depending on your sense of humor. Cannizzaro must have played for a few twisted managers because he got the green light to steal 20 times in his career. He managed just 3 steals in those 20 attempts. His 15% stolen base percentage is easily one of the worst in Major League history.

If that isn't proof enough of his lack of speed, how about this: Cannizzaro grounded into more double plays (67) in his career than he had doubles (66). Still need more? Cannizzaro once failed to score from second on a hard hit double. No word on if he got tagged out at the plate or if he just got to third and decided to throw in the towel...Look at that. Even I can't resist making Cannizzaro the "butt of a joke."

Hey, we've all been the "butt" some time in our lives. Some people hate it. Some people don't care. Some people care but don't say anything. And some people are completely oblivious—buttlivious? No matter how you feel about it, there's only one thing that can take the sting out of being the "butt of a joke." Thick skin.

If you look at Chris Cannizzaro's career you get the feeling he had really thick skin. Actually, if you look at Chris Cannizzaro's career you get the feeling he had no choice.

Comments

[dave]

wow ,3 steals in 20 attempts!They say the slowest ever was ernie lombardi a catcher for the reds.he was a prolific hitter but he was so slow that the infielders plaid him on the out field grass and easily threw him out at first.something about being in the sqautting posistion for long periods of time give these guys huge asses and make them so slow.i think mike stanley is the slowest I ever seen.although,Mirabelli has to be up there.

[mrsnydes]

i googled to see if cannizzaro had the worst stolen base percentage all-time and jay buhner came up. he was 6 for 30, 20%. cannizzaro is 15%. maybe 20 attempts is considered too little. they didn't keep caught stealing back in lombardi's day. he's listed with 8 steals. at buhner's rate he would have 32 caught stealing. at cannizzaro's rate he would have 45. yikes. i'd pick stanley, too, as slowest of the slow.

[JOHN MARSELLA]

I AM LOOKING TO GET IN TOUCH WITH CHRIS CANNIZZARO
ANY ADDRESSES OUT THERE

JERSEYSURETHING@AOL.COM